What That Means for Your Business
Most people are starting to use tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to ask questions.
“What’s the best vitamin for joint pain?”
“Where should I eat tonight?”
“Find me a good plumber near me.”
Right now, those tools give you options.
You still decide.
You still click.
You still buy.
But that’s starting to change.
A Simple Way to Think About It
Let’s say you need a supplement for your horse.
Right now, you might:
- search online
- compare a few sites
- read reviews
- pick one
In the near future, you might just say:
“Keep an eye out for the best price on this. Make sure it’s from a reputable supplier. Order it once a month.”
And it does.
No searching.
No comparing.
No clicking.
That’s what people are calling agentic commerce.
What “Agentic Commerce” Means
You’ll start hearing that term more.
It simply means:
AI systems (or “agents”) don’t just suggest options…
they take action.
They can:
- find products
- compare options
- make decisions
- complete purchases
Not just assist.
Act.
Here’s Where It Gets Interesting
Humans and machines don’t “see” the same thing.
When you look at a product online, you see:
- photos
- colors
- layout
- branding
An AI system sees something very different.
It sees:
- product name
- description
- material
- dimensions
- price
- availability
Not the picture.
The data behind the picture.
Why That Matters
For large retail companies — think Nike, electronics stores, major brands — this is already becoming important.
Their systems are being built so AI can understand every product in detail.
That’s where things like:
- product catalogs
- structured data
- schema
come into play.
(You don’t need to memorize those terms — just know they exist.)
“But I Don’t Sell Products…”
Most of my clients don’t.
You’re not running a massive online store.
You’re a:
- plumber
- chiropractor
- local business
- service provider
So this doesn’t apply the same way.
But it does still apply.
The Shift for Service Businesses
Instead of someone typing:
“plumber in my area”
…and browsing through 10 websites…
They may simply say:
“Find me a reliable plumber near me and book them.”
Now the system has to decide:
- who you are
- what you do
- where you work
- whether you’re a good option
Without ever “browsing” your site the way a person would.
Humans Browse. AI Selects.
That’s the shift.
Humans look around.
AI makes choices.
And it can only choose correctly if it understands the business clearly.
One Thing That’s Still Unclear
One thing that stood out to me while learning more about this is what wasn’t fully addressed yet.
Fraud.
We already deal with it today:
- fake websites
- businesses misrepresenting themselves
- scams built to look legitimate
That doesn’t go away just because AI is involved.
In fact, it raises new questions.
If an AI system is making decisions or even completing purchases, how does it know:
- a business is legitimate
- the information it’s reading is accurate
- it isn’t being directed toward something misleading
There are safeguards being discussed — things like transaction thresholds and monitoring unusual activity — but much of this is still evolving.
Which makes sense.
The technology is moving quickly.
The protections are still catching up. And if you’ve been around the internet long enough, you already know how creative bad actors can be.
What This Means for Your Website
This is the important part.
Your website doesn’t just need to look good.
It needs to be:
- clear about what you do
- specific about where you work
- structured in a way that’s easy to understand
- consistent in how it describes your services
That helps both:
- real people
- and the systems starting to interpret your business
This Isn’t Brand New
If this sounds familiar, it should.
This is already part of what I do when building and working on websites:
- defining services clearly
- structuring content logically
- making sure location and service areas are obvious
- avoiding vague or confusing language
We’ve always needed that for search engines.
Now it’s becoming just as important for AI systems.
What’s Coming Next
Right now, AI tools:
- suggest
- summarize
- recommend
Soon, they’ll start:
- acting
- selecting
- purchasing
More often.
Not overnight.
But steadily.
What I’ll Be Watching (And Helping With)
As this develops, there are a few things I’ll be paying close attention to:
- how AI systems decide which businesses to recommend
- how trust and reputation are evaluated
- how fraud and manipulation might enter the picture
- how businesses can be clearly and accurately represented
Some of this is still evolving.
But the direction is clear.
Final Thought
This isn’t something to panic about.
But it is something to be aware of.
The businesses that are:
- clear
- consistent
- well-structured
will be easier for both people and AI to understand.
And that’s where this is heading.
